Chapter : 677

"No," Ira answered flatly. "I am not angry at Elma. Elma is brave. Elma possesses a massive amount of courage. I respect her actions today."

Ira looked down at her own pale hands. She opened and closed her fingers slowly.

"I am angry at myself," Ira confessed. Her robotic voice wavered just a microscopic fraction of an inch. "I view my own emotional walls as a total failure."

Naomi uncrossed her arms. She listened carefully. She felt a strong connection to Ira's words.

"Elma gathered the courage to state her internal feelings," Ira analyzed logically. She looked back up at the moon. "I watched her. I observed her face turn pink. I heard her voice tremble. But she did not stop. She pushed through the fear. She completed her objective."

Ira paused. She stared at the bright moon.

"I wanted to speak today," Ira admitted quietly. "I felt a massive reaction inside my chest. My heart rate elevated. My internal temperature increased. I wanted to tell Ken how I feel. I wanted to thank him."

Ira thought about Ken. She thought about his goofy smile. She remembered him handing her a piece of chocolate cake. She remembered his lazy voice telling her she was allowed to rest. She remembered how safe he made her feel. He did not ask her to be a weapon. He just asked her to eat cake.

"I wanted to tell him he makes me feel peaceful," Ira said softly. "But I stayed silent. My programming stopped me. My inability to show emotion is my greatest flaw."

Naomi felt her heart squeeze. She felt incredible empathy for the quiet girl.

Ira slowly lowered her gaze. She looked directly at Naomi. A dark shadow passed over Ira's pale eyes.

"Niro ruined me," Ira stated coldly.

Naomi knew that name. Niro was Ira's abusive older brother. Niro was a cruel, corrupt noble. He was a high-ranking advisor in the 1st Prince's faction.

"Niro destroyed my childhood," Ira recalled. Her voice lacked emotion, but the memory was painful. "I remember the exact day. I held my favorite doll. I smiled. Niro ripped the doll out of my hands. He tore it apart. He threw the pieces on the floor."

Ira clenched her pale hands into tight fists.

"Niro told me emotions make a person weak," Ira continued flatly. "He said our noble family does not need smiling children. Our family only needs weapons. He ordered me to erase my feelings. He forced me to build these walls."

Ira looked at her fists. She squeezed them until her knuckles turned white.

Love this novel? Read it on NovelPhoenix to ensure the author gets credit.

"He used my blank face to justify his hatred," Ira explained logically. "He called me a broken machine. He turned me into a weapon. And today, I proved him right."

Ira unclenched her hands. She let her arms fall to her sides. She looked defeated.

"Weapons do not speak," Ira concluded sadly. "Weapons do not confess love. They only follow orders. I acted like a weapon today. I failed as a human being."

Naomi felt a lump form in her throat. She stepped forward. She did not act like a strict vanguard leader. She acted like a true, caring friend.

Naomi reached out her hand. She placed her warm palm gently onto Ira's shoulder.

"You are not a weapon, Ira," Naomi said softly. Her voice was full of sincerity. "You are a human being. You are a good person. And you are not a failure."

Ira tilted her head slightly. She looked at Naomi's hand on her shoulder. "My silence proves my failure. I lacked the necessary courage."

Naomi shook her head slowly. She decided to be honest. She decided to drop her own strict persona. She needed to show Ira she was not alone.

"I stayed silent too," Naomi admitted quietly. She smiled a very sad, small smile. "I felt the exact same way this afternoon. My heart was beating so fast. I wanted to say something. But I was frozen."

Ira processed this new information. She blinked her pale blue eyes twice. "You were frozen? You are the vanguard leader. You do not freeze."

"I hide behind my pride," Naomi confessed openly. She looked deep into Ira's eyes. "I act like a strict leader. I yell during training. I act tough. I tell everyone what to do. But inside, I was too scared to speak up. My pride stopped me. We both hid today, Ira. You hid behind your blank face. I hid behind my tough attitude."

Ira analyzed the comparison. She ran the logic through her mind. She realized Naomi was speaking the absolute truth. They shared the exact same flaw. They both used walls to protect themselves from rejection.

"You were scared?" Ira asked simply.

"Yes," Naomi nodded firmly. "I was very scared."

They stood together in the quiet moonlight. The night air felt a little warmer. They both cared about the exact same lazy boy. They both cared about the slacker who slept down the hall. They both felt confused. They both felt left behind by Elma's incredible bravery.

Naomi let go of Ira's shoulder. She took a step back. She looked at Ira with a sudden, bright burst of determination. Her green eyes sparked with new energy.

"We cannot just hide forever," Naomi declared confidently. She smiled a real, genuine smile. "We cannot let our walls win. We need to fix this. We need to figure out how to handle our feelings."

Naomi held her hand out toward Ira. She offered an open palm.

"Let us work together, Ira," Naomi suggested warmly. "Let us form a team. We can help each other practice. We can figure out how to drop our shields."

Ira looked at Naomi's outstretched hand. She calculated the proposal. She weighed the variables. She evaluated the potential success rate of a cooperative emotional mission.

Ira reached out. She placed her pale hand firmly into Naomi's hand. They shook hands in the moonlight.

"A joint operation," Ira concluded. She gave a single, precise nod of her head. "We share a common emotional variable. We experience highly confusing internal reactions regarding Ken. We must find a real, logical solution to these shared feelings."

Naomi laughed a soft, musical laugh. The quiet sadness disappeared from her chest. Her frustration melted away into the night air.

"Yes," Naomi smiled brightly. "A logical solution. We will figure it out together. We will not let fear stop us again."

They turned toward the open expanse of the grassy courtyard. They did not want to go back to sleep. They decided to practice their combat drills together. They moved side by side in the silver moonlight. Naomi spun her silver daggers. Ira shaped her high-pressure water. They moved in perfect, synchronized harmony.

They were not alone with their confusing thoughts anymore. They had a solid plan. They had an alliance. They were ready to face their own emotions. And they were ready to figure out the lazy, goofy boy who accidentally stole both of their hearts.